John Carter Brown Woods Building

About this Property

#Redevelopment

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This narrow industrial buildings runs from the front of the block along Westminster Street to the back along Washington, almost 100 feet. At two stories with a full basement and 17,000 square feet, it has more space than one might suspect. It was last purchased (as of November 2023) in March of 2017 for under $400,000.¹

Paramount Office Supply was a major tenant for many years, with a mention in a Providence Journal article from 1984 as being at this location. The company was officially incorporated in 1951.² They seem to have closed in 1993.³

The building was likely vacant between 1993 and 2000, when it seems that alternate uses for this space were being considered. A Providence Journal article says “The Armory Revival Company is creating new live-work spaces at 755 Westminster and property at 819 Westminster is being considered as a possible live-work building for artists, along with a gallery, theater and cafe.”⁴ That did not happen, unfortunately, and the building was lightly used and changed hands a few times since then.

Architecture

A modern façade was added to the building around 1984, consisting of exposed concrete piers and a pointed gable roof pediment.⁵ (The 2002 write up that says it was “recently” re-faced was mistaken according to our research.) This has since been removed to expose a nicely balanced façade consisting of decorative brick courses, offset entrance, stepped parapet, and single-double-single rectangular window fenestration across the second floor. The first floor windows were greatly altered from their original design into narrow, non-operable single lites. Decorative arched brick string courses adorn the second story single windows.

The building consists of two distinct halves, with a change in elevation in the middle of the lot, most prominently seen in photo four. The rear portion of the building has a concrete block second story, while the Westminster half and the first floor of the Washington half is brick-faced. According to maps, as late as 1955 the back half was only one story. The cement block story was added after 1955.

#Current Events

The newest owner is a registered corporation called Accordion LLC.⁶ Micheal Bulman is named an officer, and he is also half of the design team at one of the tenant firms, a design-build company called HB Design Build. Studios are for rent in the space, with one of the current tenants being Design xRI. A ground-floor retail space is in the works.

#History

From the “Industrial Sites and Commercial Buildings Survey (ICBS)” by PPS and the AIA, 2001-2002

It is a large, two-story, rectangular, brick building that stretches from Westminster to Washington Street. The building has recently been re-faced in concrete with replacement windows on the façade. The building’s entrance is offset on the façade, within a recessed opening enclosed by an iron gate. Fenestration on the façade is comprised of rectangular, single-light, fixed sash windows. A two-story, flat-roof, brick block extends from the rear elevation. This block features rectangular windows openings that have been boarded up. Further north is a second two-story, flat-roof block with brick on the first story and concrete block above. This ell fronts onto Washington Street and is identified by modern signage as the Paramount Office Supply. An oversized vehicular entrance is offset on the Washington Street elevation. This entrance has been filled in. Fenestration is comprised of rectangular window openings with replacement sash on the second story and boarded up openings on the first floor level. A paved parking area is located to the west. (Due to extensive alterations to the building’s exterior, it is not included in the ICBD.)

The building appears to have been constructed ca. 1900 when the property was acquired by John C. B. Wood, a lawyer who is listed in city directories at this address. The building is shown on the 1908 Sanborn map. The John Carter Brown Wood Estate retained ownership of the building through to 1939 when it was acquired by the Rhode Island Hospital Trust Co. The 1937 map identifies the structure as C.B. Wood Estates and the 1955 Sanborn identifies the building as “One Store.” City directories list a variety of liquor stores as operating from this address in the early twentieth century. In the 1930s, the building was used by the American Fruit Store. The property was acquired by the American Supermarket, Inc. in 1946 and transferred to the Hoyle Square Realty Co. in 1950. The building was most recently owned by Paramount Office Supply Company and is identified on the 1983 Sanborn map as “One Store.”

John Carter Brown Woods

Based on what we could sleuth, we think “J. C. B. Woods” is John Carter Brown Woods, a lawyer born in Providence in 1851.⁷ He maintained an office at 146 Westminster Street, the Lauderdale Building, room 303, for more than 20 years. The building at 819 Westminster was likely an investment property. From the write-up above and the maps, we would agree that Mr. Woods purchased the property around 1900 — his name is attached first in the 1908 map.

Mr. Woods lived at 62 Prospect Street, the Woods-Gerry house, which is named for his father and mother, Anne Brown Francis and Marshall Woods. When his father passed in 1899, Mr. Woods continued to reside at 62 Prospect until his own death in January of 1930, at least according to the Providence House Directories.

He was an amateur historian as well, it seems, having written “John Carter of Providence, Rhode Island, July 21, 1745 — August 19, 1814 and his Descendants: A Brief Narrative by his great- great grandson John Carter Brown Woods” published in October of 1918.⁸ A painting of his father, Marshall Woods, was donated by John to the Brown University collection.⁹

Although the ICBD says “a lawyer who is listed in city directories at this address,” we could not find any direct link via a City Directory between John C. B. Woods and the 819 Westminster property. The only tangible link are the labels that appear in the maps.

Maps

The previous write up from 2002 guesses at a build date of circa 1900, which we disagree with (and have very little expertise in doing so). Our reasoning is as follows:

• 1895 A.L. Westgard Map — Wood frame (yellow) building present but not labelled with any details. Same footprint as subsequent maps.
• 1899-1900 Sanborn Insurance Map, Vol 1, Plate 48 (page 57) — Shows a yellow building with a cement block building (blue) in the middle of the two halves. An attachment also looks like the building is connected to the adjacent building to the east. The north Washington Street side is labelled as “4” stories and “Furniture & House Furnishings Ware Ho.” The center stone building is labelled as “3” stories with “Picture Frame Fac. 2nd.” The southern half along Westminster Street is labelled as “3” stories with “Duplicate Stock 2nd & 3rd” on one side and “Wall Paper & Pictures” on the other side. The details present here can be inferred on subsequent maps. 1900 reference map in our gallery
• 1908 L. J. Richards Insurance Map, Plate 3 — In yellow indicating wood frame. Labeled with the name “J. C. B. Woods.” In two halves (dividing line in the center) with two notches in the building walls, one on either side of the long sides of the building.
• 1918 G.M. Hopkins Insurance Map, Plate 3 — Much the same as the previous and next maps.
• 1920-21 Sanborn Insurance Map, Vol 1, Plate 48 (page 59) — Shows a yellow building, indicating a wood frame structure. The “3” markings indicate three stories and the building masses are broken up differently than the current structure. The Westminster St side contains two units, one marked as a Restaurant and the other as a store. This might have required there to be two entrances on the ground floor, while currently there is only one. 1920 reference map in our gallery
• 1926 G.M. Hopkins Insurance Map, Plate 3 — Shows a yellow building, indicating a wood frame structure. The same narrow design is present, but the shapes are subtly different from the current structure. The owner name is “John C.B. Woods.” 1926 reference map in our gallery
• 1937 G.M. Hopkins Insurance Map, Plate 3 — The building shape has clearly changed, and now shows in pink indicating a brick structure. The name of the owner changed slightly to “John C.B. Woods Estate.” 1937 reference map in our gallery
• 1920-1951 Sanborn Insurance Map, Vol 1, Plate 48 (page 59) — The same basic shape as the 1937 map but with more detail. The Westminster half of the building is marked with a “2” for two-story and “Gro. Stge 2nd” meaning Grocery Storage 2nd floor. The owner is “One Store” and appears to use the entire first floor half. The back half along Washington Street is marked with a “1” for one-story and is blue, indicating brick-faced cement block, also noted. 1920 reference map in our gallery

With these maps as our guide, we would say the building was constructed in 1930, close to the time of John C. B. Woods’ death.